Looks like I have to go on a diet....tips?

[faizal_rocks]

Hi all

I went for my health screening 2 weeks ago and just got back my medical results. It sure doesn't look pretty. My BP is around the 150 range, which is higher than normal. My BMI is pretty high nearing the obese range. And this is definitely a far cry when I was still fit n healthy during my NS days and ever since I ORD, I began to slack all the way.....gosh, I really need to exercise regulary and cut down food with high cholestrol like my fav briyani chicken, chicken rice etc etc but with Singapore filled with so many delicacies, its pretty hard to resist the temptation and tend to have cravings...I'll be 28 this year and I'm getting a bit worried about my health..its a good thing I don't smoke/drink alcohol.

If u guys n gals have any tips on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and what foods are healthy, do share them here..thanks

 

[van_halen]

wads ur bmi?

really need to cut down on junk food. can eat once in awhile but not regularly. exercise regularly. it's tough but u gotta make a change.

basically any food that is organic and cooked properly (for example, not deep fried) is healthy. eg milk, eggs, steamed lean meat. avoid deep fried food, junk snacks (eg potato chips), sugary food/drinks and fatty food.

btw were u feeling unwell when u took your blood pressure? illness can affect bp readings.

 

[faizal_rocks]

My BMI is 25.6 if I remember correctly..I'm at work now n my report is at home so can't give the exact figure but I know its 25 point somethingish...

Thanks for the tips, bro..looks like when I eat eggs, gotta throw the egg yolk away...its a good thing my mum is a health freak too so she always cooks healthy meals for the family, encouraging me to eat lots of fruits n veggies...

Isotonic drinks aren't considered sugary, right?

 

[Impromptu]

you only live once just enjoy life and die a happy man

 

[van_halen]

actually, it's a myth that egg yolks are unhealthy. sure they have high chrolestrol BUT the high chlolestrol in blood isn't due to egg yolks, i don't know the technicalities of it.

just remember to eat natural, not processed food. some examples of processed food includes: white bread, white sugar, and yes isotonic drinks. even fruit juices are controversial, they hike up your blood sugar because they are high GI, you are supposed to eat fruits in whole not just drink their juices. go for low GI foods.

eat in moderation. moderation is good for everything in life i guess. not too much of anything. balance is the key.

if you have high bp, be careful with your choice of exercise. don't do over strenous exercise like weight lifting or gyming. do yoga, walking, light swimming.

 

[DeathCubeK]

Egg yolks contain cholesterol, just not the bad type. I remember seeing a show where someone's cholesterol levels dropped after binging on eggs for a week, because eggs contain some type of 'good' cholesterol that will break down the bad cholesterol. I am not kidding.

All I can say is, you need to do some light running or form of cardio from time to time. Make it progressive, but make sure you start some time. It's great that you don't smoke or drink as well. But fitness will go a long way towards your retirement days. All you need is to have some restraint when eating unhealthily and exercise.

 

[blueprintstudios]

sexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsexsex

faizal_rocks : I know how you feel , i'm 27 this year and my BMI is 31.3. and I think I've pretty much enjoyed most of the local foods so far for the past 4 years (I put on 20kg) including the luxury of some overseas (jp/kr/th/hk/tw). so I'll be watching this thread to see how I can work out a healthy lifestyle.

nothing about the weight really cos BMI's not that accurate right? It is about the health. I'm 184cm and 105kg and more on the bigger built, if Dwayne Johnson (the Rock) is 193cm and 116kg , he'd be "obese" as well at BMI 31.1

as for egg yolk, this one is all in the mind really. I used to eat 4 per day, and I knew body builders who downed 12. and every visit to both western/chinese tcm doctors they all say I'm as healthy as a horse except this horse needs to join the TAF club for a while.

 

[faizal_rocks]

Thanks for the tips, fellas...keep them coming...

Wow, egg yolks are supposed to be good for the health? No wonder I see bodybuilders drinking egg yolks like it was nothing to them..n yup, I do agree that moderation is the key but sometimes, I do have cravings but will try to keep those cravings under control from now on...I'm a pretty small fella, 1.66m/76kg..

I'll need to monitor my bp once in a while, I have a bp monitor at home that has never been used for quite some time, so will be using it every now and then..the results say that it could be due to hypertension, I admit I do get nervous at times but work isn't stressful for me..

Looks like I gotta go jogging on a regular basis soon...

 

[KayCee]

It seems out of place for me to be posting on this topic but those who remember me would remember me as an 87 kg dude who used to work at GC. I am now 72 kg and have been maintaining this weight + - 1-2kg for the past 1.5 years.

I won't talk much but I'll post some links. Food politics and the medical industry are intrinsically linked. Check out some of them here:

http://www.westonaprice.org/Know-Your-Fats/

If cholesterol was bad, mother's milk wouldn't contain any of it, on the contrary, mother's milk is full of it as cholesterol repairs cells and promotes healthy brain function. Ever wondered why kids look dead in school these days? It's the 'honey stars' that they are eating for breakfast, high sugar no nutrition junk food.

I'm much healthier now due to 'unconventional' eating and exercise. Faizal if you'll like to know more feel free to pm or email me. By unconventional, yes I eat a fair bit of fat in my diet. Just very little processed food, i.e canned, packaged foods etc.

KC

 

[Gene]

You should eat less carbohydrates. Best is go for a carb free diet. Have more protein and vege.

Do not take sweet stuffs.

Exercise regularly and you should be fine!

 

[Chaserr]

you should eat foods that are high in fiber, soluble fiber has been shown to help lower blood cholesterol. Foods high in soluble fiber include oat bran, oatmeal, beans and most of the legumes. and do not eat too much foods that are high in carbs, excess carbs which are not burnt, will be converted and stored as fats..

 

[muzik]

Losing weight?

For me, I tried to replace some of my meals.. I saw my friend lost 8kg in 2 months and I asked her about it and she told me she took Herbalife...

Basically you replaced two of your meals with their products.. It is low in calorie and it made you feel bloated so you will not eat as much. The the one meal you eat will be a normal meal, like mix rice, etc. This diet is only for the period of time you want to lose weight. After getting your ideal weight, you just have to eat the products once a day as breakfast.

I just took it recently and I lost about 2 kg in a month.. Of course, I will recommend exercising too but this products are good for people who don't want to spend too much effort in losing weight.. It might be a bit pricey though... If u r interested, I can tell you more ")

 

[van_halen]

Thanks for the tips, fellas...keep them coming...

Wow, egg yolks are supposed to be good for the health? No wonder I see bodybuilders drinking egg yolks like it was nothing to them..n yup, I do agree that moderation is the key but sometimes, I do have cravings but will try to keep those cravings under control from now on...I'm a pretty small fella, 1.66m/76kg..

I'll need to monitor my bp once in a while, I have a bp monitor at home that has never been used for quite some time, so will be using it every now and then..the results say that it could be due to hypertension, I admit I do get nervous at times but work isn't stressful for me..

Looks like I gotta go jogging on a regular basis soon...

when you measured your blood pressure, were you feeling unwell? illness can affect bp readings.

 

[faizal_rocks]

when you measured your blood pressure, were you feeling unwell? illness can affect bp readings.

Nope, not at all. I was pretty much normal that day. I even had my readings taken twice, 1st time was high n the lady told me to relax and walk outside n I came back 2nd time, still very much the same reading...

 

[bluepowder]

try to get a program like p90x(pm me for more details)...its a nice simple to follow regimen.....

if you're not looking for somehting like that....

check out the stickies here

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=13

 

[teleplayer]

1. drink plain water.

2. use more of your brain juice (as in really)

3. eat porridge.

4. mug.

 

[AEnimic]

Tam for sum 5BX boi! Pumping position down! ;P

 

[DeathCubeK]

BMI is rubbish. I think a better indicator is your body fat. Like what that guy said about The Rock having a 30+ BMI, sure he does, but he has low bodyfat and high muscle mass. I have a friend who was in canoeing during JC, could get silver for IPPT and do over 10 chin ups and stuff but he was still in TAF club because of his BMI.

It's easy to know whether you're in shape or not. Just ask yourself honestly, and the truth will reveal itself. A lot of people I know who are out of shape refuse to acknowledge the fact, saying that they're big boned/not dieting enough etc when the truth is their lifestyles are terrible. Never hit the gym, never did any cardio in months. How to be healthy like that?

 

[van_halen]

I have a friend who was in canoeing during JC, could get silver for IPPT and do over 10 chin ups and stuff but he was still in TAF club because of his BMI.

that's really stupid.

anyway, actually bmi is just a rough guide, more applicable for average people. it is not accurate for bodybuilders/extremely fit people.

 

[faekildare]

I agree with the above. BMI is simply rubbish. It was actually based off the average Solider from the Vietnam war (are you that standard? I dun think so). Body Fat is THE best indication and calipers measurement is the second or third best way to do it.
However, having all that said, BP of 150 is only a measurement of your Heartbeat rate. Which means, there can be a lot of causes to that (Stress is an example). Now, the next question is, what is your BP rate (The lower number). Is it over 80 (which is the average number for a normal person)?
Now, the secret to losing weight is NOT to diet (meaning, no carbs, no food, blah blah blah). The key to it is to create what we call a Calories imbalance. First of all, what is your average intake of calories a day? If your doing over 2000, that means you are WAY over. Knowing the average per day allows you to measure how much you would need to cut (the more the better obviously, at a healthy rate). I used to weight about 100 kg and after a strict diet routine and lotsa cardio, i am proud to say now i am 84 Kg with body fat of 17.
How did i achieve that? Using myself as an example, my average intake a day should be 2000 calories. So knowing that i need an imbalance, i did about 1500 to 1700 calories a day. Now, that has already created a 300 calories imbalance for weight loss (digesting does burn fat just in case you do not know). Now, what i use to do was to jog about 3km about 5 times a week. So during the days which i jog, i burned about 300 calories, which means that i have already created an imbalance of 600 calories.
Now people always said diet to lose weight. That is wrong. The key is the CORRECT diet. Carbs is THE MOST IMPT part of your daily diet. When you have no carbs intake, you WILL turn stupid (scientifically proven as your brains take in only carbs for thinking). Ever wondered why you can't perform as well for an exam without breakfast? Now you know.
Less saturated and Trans Fat for your diet. MORE omega 3 fat (sadine is a good source), more vegs (eating raw Celery actually creates a negative calorie in take) and less carbs (not no carbs mind you). Less Refine sugar intake (yea, condense milk, soft drinks etc...) and less fast food (cause those contains high amount of trans fat).

Sry for the long winded post, hope this helps u faizal.